OMH to host author, motivational speaker

April 12, 2011

Courtesy Photo

GAYLORD — Otsego Memorial Hospital (OMH) and the OMH Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department in Gaylord is hosting Michigan author John Otterbacher for an engaging afternoon presentation Tuesday, April 26, at 4 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of St. Mary Cathedral School.

Otterbacher’s true story, “Sailing Grace,” is narrated with present-tense immediacy, beginning with John flat on his back in a local health club, gasping for air. It ends 31 months and 4,000 miles later when he, his wife Barbara, and their two youngest children maneuver their sailboat, Grace, into Schull Harbor, Ireland.

A gritty account of their family’s struggle to do better than simply survive, “Sailing Grace” is also a commentary on how love heals, dreams energize and trauma can be a wake-up call. From hospital ward to the stormy Atlantic, this hard-edge story will resonate with anyone who has struggled with profound adversity — be it divorce, disease, depression, financial crisis or the “heavy weather” that unexpectedly blows through every life.

Otterbacher grew up in the working class neighborhoods of Grand Rapids, paying for college with a series of factory and construction jobs. After graduating from Aquinas College with a degree in psychology, he completed a master’s and doctorate degree in clinical psychology at St. Louis University.

He has done additional postgraduate study in urban affairs, human relations, political process and organizational development.

Upon returning to Grand Rapids as an assistant professor and clinical psychologist at Aquinas College, he was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate. During his eight years in the Legislature, he was a firebrand on health issues, leading successful fights for nursing home reform; the development of a statewide emergency medical service system; and passage of both a new Public Health Code and the Michigan Mental Health Code.

“Sailing Grace,” his first full-length book, has been honored as Best New Non-Fiction Book by the National Indie Excellence Awards, Michigan Notable Book and as a finalist for Best Book award by USA Book News.

With the growing acclaim for “Sailing Grace,” Otterbacher has become a sought after speaker to diverse groups and organizations: Health care and corporate, educational, nautical and literary, and is limiting those presentations in coming months in order to write his next book, so be sure to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

For more information or to RSVP, call OMH Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation at 731-7842 or visit MyOMH.org.